There is an abundance of herbal remedies for perimenopause and menopause symptoms to be found in drug stores, discount stores, health stores, and web sites. The most well-known of these herbs include black cohosh, dong quai, red clover, and chaste berry used singly or in combinations. These herbs either have phytoestrogens meant to replace or compete with a woman's own estrogen or function in some other way to relieve symptoms such as hot flashes and vaginal atrophy.
Maca root and sarsaparilla are other herbs used for perimenopause and menopause symptoms and are thought to increase progesterone or progesterone production. The maca did not help with the hot flashes, but tastes great and I have more energy when I use it.
Flaxseed oil, ground flaxseed, and evening primrose oil are also used to relieve hot flashes.
And, of course, who hasn't heard about soy for hot flashes. Although soy is a food and not an herb, the isoflavinoids have been isolated and can be found in all sorts of supplements singly or in combination with herbs. My belief is, if you are going to use soy, just eat soy in some fermented form like tofu. Although pills are easy, research shows that isolating the isoflavioid does not work as well as eating the whole food product.
I have tried soy and all of these herbs without much success. Call me impatient, but if I don't see some significant results in a month, I move on. I don't have enough years left in my life to spend three to six months on a product. I need symptom relief now, so that I can get on with what's left of my life. Herbs are like men--I no longer have a lot of time to waste trying to see if the relationship will work. If it doesn't work in the beginning, it probably isn't going to work any better down the road.
I will say that flaxseed has reduced hot flashes for me. Not the oil, but the ground seeds. It does not get rid of them for me, but it does help. I do eat flaxseed meal regularly. It is a very healthy food and adds omega 3 fatty acids and fiber to my diet.
There are also many web sites offering exotic herbs and lifestyle change programs to balance your hormones. The theory here is that women do not need BHRT, but instead just need to get their body to work better to produce all the hormones they need after menopause in a balanced way. While this idea may have credibility, I have little faith or interest in it. First of all, I think it doesn't matter how much I balance the hormones I produce if I don't have enough of them. Secondly, even though we should all be drinking and bathing in the purest water, eating only organic foods, getting plenty of sleep and exercise, and going to yoga class, I don't have the time or money to do this. And let's not forget possibly traveling across the country for a consultation. Plus, I like some of my vices and it's not likely I will give them up at this point in my life.
To summarize, I just need bioidentical hormones to replace the ones I've lost. However, the soy and herbal remedies are worth trying. Just because it has not worked for me doesn't mean it won't work for someone else.
If a woman no longer has her ovaries, almost her whole hormone production factory is gone, and I doubt that herbal remedies are strong enough estrogenically to work.
